Senator Roy Blunt to speak at OTC commencement ceremony

United States Senator Roy Blunt will present the commencement address at the 2013 ceremony for Ozarks Technical Community College, to be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 16, at JQH Arena on the Missouri State University campus. In addition to all graduates and their families, the public is invited to attend the ceremony.

“As a former university president, Senator Blunt understands the significance of the commencement ceremony as a celebration of our students’ achievements,” said Dr. Hal Higdon, chancellor of Ozarks Technical Community College. “We are honored to have Senator Blunt as our speaker this year, and we look forward to hearing his words of encouragement and advice for our graduates.”

Senator Roy Blunt was elected to the United States Senate in 2010. Less than one year after he was sworn in, Blunt was chosen by his colleagues to serve as the Vice Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference. He is also a member of the Senate Republican Whip Team, and serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee; the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee; the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence; and the Senate Rules Committee.

From 1996-2008, Blunt was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives seven times. Blunt was elected by his colleagues to serve as House Majority Whip and Republican Whip three times, and he became the Majority Whip, the second highest Republican in the House, earlier in his career than any member of Congress in eight decades. Before serving in Congress, he was a history teacher, a county official, and, in 1984, he was the first Republican elected as Missouri’s Secretary of State in more than 50 years. Senator Blunt also served as the president of his alma mater, Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri.

Senator Blunt is a member of the Smithsonian Council for American Art and is a Trustee of the State Historical Society of Missouri. He is married to Abigail Blunt, and has four children and six grandchildren.